Chapter 421 - 309: The Demon God and Fighting God with Human Nature

Chapter 421: Chapter 309: The Demon God and Fighting God with Human Nature

The Demon Gods weren’t actually all that hostile toward the Mad Witches. After all, without this group of turncoats, they’d have to go to much greater lengths to operate in the Real World.

But as for *liking* them...

That wasn’t the case either, especially with the recent arrival of an unruly old fossil!

Damn it, perfectly stable transactions were working just fine, but no, he had to resort to robbery. So uncivilized!

Besides, times had changed. Long ago, every Mad Witch was a tasty morsel in the eyes of the Outer Gods. Because so few could overcome the trial after reaching Tier Five, the vast majority of High Tier Mad Witches would fall into their clutches—an exceptionally delicious meal!

If they were lucky, they could even find a stepping stone to begin the Erosion of another Outer God’s Authority. It was a damn sweet deal!

But that was in the past. Now...

The Wizard Civilization had grown too fast, and the Gate of Legends was too powerful. Mad Witches nowadays were very cautious in their dealings with Outer Gods, never taking more than their due. Consequently, the traces of the Outer Gods on them were fainter, and naturally, the Outer Gods’ profits had dwindled.

Conversely, every Wizard who made it to Tier Five was ridiculously powerful—especially the Mad Witches!

After reaching Tier Five, ordinary Wizards pursued a standard level of combat effectiveness—enough to thrash same-tier Knights, Demons, and Giant Dragons. They were satisfied with that.

The more talented among the Tier Five Mages would seek power beyond their tier, aiming for the title of Demigod!

It might sound absurd. Normally, the further one progressed on the Path of the Extraordinary, the harder it should be to fight above one’s tier.

But Wizards were different.

Wizards found it easy to fight above their tier at Tiers One and Two. After all, at the Low Tiers, Magic was truly overpowered; it wasn’t even out of the question for a Tier Two to defeat a Tier Three Knight.

But at Tier Three and Tier Four, the situation was reversed. The difficulty of fighting above one’s tier skyrocketed!

Whether it was a Tier Three fighting a Tier Four or a Tier Four fighting a Tier Five, they basically couldn’t win against any kind of Transcendent. Things reached a relative equilibrium—well, with the exception of the Transformation Magic Faction.

But things were different again at Tier Five. After Tier Five, the level of resources a Wizard could utilize skyrocketed, as did their efficiency in using them.

The classic example was the Floating City. That thing could simulate a Deity’s Divine Kingdom!

All sorts of outrageous Magic could be flung around like it was free!

They were also more convenient than a Divine Kingdom, since a Divine Kingdom couldn’t just wander around everywhere like a Floating City could.

However...

This Mad Witch before him was clearly an exception!

’What the hell? He’s even meddling in the Divine Domain?’

Although the Demon God behind Giant Troll Valley wasn’t the same one from Wolf Howl Abyss, the two territories were adjacent, so he knew a bit about the situation over there, especially when it came to major incidents.

The recent incident where an Evil God self-destructed to cover the escape of two True Gods was a huge and shocking event—shocking from any angle you looked at it.

They had never been able to understand it: why would a Deity cripple themselves to enter the Wilderness Dungeon? Why would a True God team up with an Evil God? And why would that Evil God then self-destruct just to cover the True God’s escape?

Now, the latter two questions were answered. This was all the handiwork of a Mad Witch. But that meant...

It made even less damn sense!

’When did Mad Witches get this badass?’

The Demon God racked his brains but couldn’t figure it out, and he fell into deep thought.

And there was one other who was also lost in thought—the Fighting God!

At the entrance to the fourth level of Giant Troll Valley, the Fighting God silently watched Trist cut a swath of destruction, his heart a tangle of complex emotions.

Trist’s expression, even colder than the Mother Goddess’s, terrified him. Yet, Trist’s power, so much greater than his own, was also a source of reassurance... and jealousy.

Of course, it was mostly still fear.

The Fighting God was not like Mephisto; he had no such lofty ideals. Before becoming a Deity, he had wanted to be a leader simply to enjoy more privileges and stay away from danger.

This hadn’t changed even after he became a Deity. Isaac’s modified ritual for Becoming a God only prevented one’s desires from inflating too quickly during the process and taking control.

Simply put, whatever they were like before Becoming a God, they remained after.

However, this potential for change was not entirely erased.

A person’s way of thinking naturally shifts with their power. This was true for him, and it was true for Mephisto.

The difference was that Mephisto’s way of thinking had evolved upward, while his had devolved downward.

As he watched Trist’s rampage, a shadow flickered across the Fighting God’s eyes. The Demon God, observing the battle from "the heavens," naturally noticed this fleeting darkness. After a moment of thought, he came to a decision.

A peculiar message flowed along the Magic Veins of the Underground Palace and directly into the Fighting God’s mind.

The Fighting God started, looking up at the sky with a deep frown. Without further hesitation, he transformed into an Escape Light and shot out of the Underground Palace.

Trist glanced in the direction the Fighting God had departed, his expression unchanging. He remained focused on slaughtering Giant Trolls. He had been aware of the Fighting God’s arrival, but as long as it didn’t interfere with the mission Isaac had assigned him, he couldn’t be bothered.

Meanwhile, after leaving the Underground Palace, the Fighting God reported Trist’s situation to Mephisto. On some strange impulse, he failed to mention the Demon God’s message. Instead, he turned and left, returning to his Divine Hall. Only after ensuring he would not be disturbed did he sink into deep thought.

In the blink of an eye, time slipped by. The prototype for Isaac’s Divine Spirit Book was finally brewed. As a prominent aroma wafted out of the Magic Cauldron, Isaac nodded in satisfaction.

He reached out and took the Divine Spirit Book, which glowed with a rainbow-hued light. Isaac caressed its jade-like cover, his eyes filled with curiosity and the shimmering light of his [Analysis] Authority.

Just like the Virtual Divinity, he currently only knew how to make the thing; as for the principles behind it, he was completely in the dark.

Fortunately, compared to the Wind-Fire Wheel, which he couldn’t analyze at all, the Divine Spirit Book was a much better case. Although the information he obtained wasn’t comprehensive, it was a vast improvement over the Wind-Fire Wheel, which yielded no data whatsoever.

From this rudimentary data, Isaac gleaned one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. The good news was that the Divine Spirit Book had growth potential; it could be upgraded all the way to the highest-level Ten Thousand Gods Scripture!

Although the requisite materials and Divine Power were by no means insignificant, this was still decidedly good news. After all, there’s a world of difference between collecting that many materials over time and having to gather them all at once.

The bad news was that, just as with weaving a Virtual Divinity, the Deity who signed a contract with the Divine Spirit Book could not be a Virtual Deity. Only a real God can bind a real God!

This was acceptable, however. After mastering the Dominating Miracle Magic, he could already command Virtual Deities directly. Although they lacked much in the way of Human Nature, they were still quite effective as weapons.

Therefore, Isaac quickly moved on to the next stage of the refinement: infusing the Divine Spirit Book with Divine Power through a ritual!